


Oxygen

by BlueNeutrino



Series: A Hunter's Heart in an Angel's Hands [28]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: CPR, Drowning, Human Castiel, M/M, or at least weakened grace Cas, presumably
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-11
Updated: 2015-07-11
Packaged: 2018-04-08 19:55:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4317762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueNeutrino/pseuds/BlueNeutrino
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The classic trope: Dean almost drowns. Cas has to perform CPR. For the prompt: "I love the song "oxygen" by thousand foot krutch and the whole time I imagine dean and cas. Either dean singing to cas like a love song or the background music of a scene where dean is drowning and cas saves him."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Oxygen

The water is cold enough on the outside. A bone-aching chill seeps into Dean’s skin, the iciness clinging to every inch of him and refusing to let go. He struggles, thrashes, fights to make his way towards the fading light up above him, but the claws around his ankle dragging him down are as stubborn as the cold. When he finally loses the battle to keep his mouth clamped shut, the water pouring down his throat and flooding his lungs feels like liquid agony.

Dean’s chest convulses. His vision blacks out for a second as he could swear a thousand knives are stabbing into his lungs, but the clenching of his muscles does nothing to clear them. Still he struggles, makes another futile kick to break the kappa’s grip, but he’s sinking deeper. His chest feels as though it’s about to simultaneously collapse and explode.

 _Oh shit,_ is the thought that flashes through his mind as he realizes maybe he is actually about to die here. The adrenaline rush isn’t enough to save him as the thrashing of his muscles grow weaker, a tiredness beginning to pervade his body. He can hear the blood pounding in his ears, feel his heartbeat growing sluggish and heavy, and a panic grips him.

 _Sam…_ he thinks, looking up towards the light that’s rapidly growing dim. _Cas…_

Vaguely, he wonders if he can make out the shape of a hand reaching for him through the darkness, but his vision is swimming so much it’s probably just his oxygen deprived mind playing tricks. That’s the last thing he’s aware of before oxygen starvation snatches the last of his consciousness from him.

 

* * *

 

“Dean?”

The voice is strangely muffled, but Dean recognizes it. He knows that gravel timbre, distant though it seems, and he recognizes the panic in it. He doesn’t know what the panic is for, but he can tell it’s there, and he’s concerned.

“Dean!”

That sounded clearer, far too loud and far too close. The shouting makes Dean want to respond; irritably ask _“What?”_ and “ _What are you yelling for?”_ but when he tries, his body does nothing. He thinks he’s beginning to understand the panic.

“Come on, Dean. Breathe!”

What happens next takes him by surprise. Something pinches his nose and then he feels soft, warm lips make contact with his own, blowing gently into his lungs. His chest inflates, and Dean wonders why it wasn’t doing that on its own. When what are presumably Cas’ lips leave his again, Dean tries to draw another breath, but his body’s outright refusal to co-operate triggers a surge of frustration.

A weight settles on Dean’s chest as Cas’ hands fold themselves over his sternum, and then he feels a sudden sharp pressure as Cas begins compressions. If Dean could move at all, he would have cried out. The sudden pain behind his ribs jogs his memory, and he remembers falling into the lake, the kappa dragging him deeper until he could no longer hold his breath and was sure he was going to drown…

_Did Cas get me out?_

The answer to that appears to be _yes_ as he feels Cas pick up the second cycle of CPR, blowing into his mouth again before returning to his chest. Each push sends another uncomfortable jolt through Dean’s ribs, and he finds himself wishing he would wake up just to yell at Cas to cut it out. He doesn’t know how he’s aware of anything when he isn’t breathing and his heart doesn’t seem to be beating, but the sensations in his body are all too vivid as he feels something crack inside his chest and he’s sure a rib has just snapped.

Cas freezes. The pressure on Dean’s chest lets up, and he can hear Cas breathing shakily before fingers are pressed to his throat in search of a pulse, wondering if he’d mistaken the feel of the breaking rib for a heartbeat. His fingers are forceful, almost bruising as they dig into the delicate skin beneath Dean’s throat. When Cas still can’t detect any reassuring, steady throbbing beneath Dean’s skin, he gives a quiet, strangled sob.

The sound isn’t loud, but to Dean, it’s deafening. Something wrenches inside of him as he hears the pure anguish in it, and as if in response, he feels his heart flutter and reach towards a beat.

In desperation, Cas lowers his lips to Dean’s again, and Dean feels his lungs strain to shake off the lead weight that has settled on them and make their first inhale. They don’t manage it before Cas has blown into them again, but as Dean feels the breath fill him, his tongue manages to stir before the air gently flows back out of his mouth. “Cas?”

It’s nothing more than the faintest whisper, but Cas feels it. It’s the first rumble before the avalanche as Dean’s eyes flutter open, and his heart gives a thump before springing fully back to life. For a moment, they find themselves staring into each other’s eyes, lips barely inches apart. Dean can see the redness and moisture in Cas’ eyes, threatening tears, held back by the amazement and relief to find that Dean is okay. “Dean?”

Dean tries to grin, but the corners of his mouth just manage to twitch. “Hey,” he croaks out, and then he’s cut off from saying any more by the violent convulsion that leaves him coughing up the water in his lungs.

Cas holds him, rubbing his back through the heaving and retching until there’s nothing left to expel from his lungs, and then, exhausted Dean collapses against Cas’ chest.

For a moment, there’s nothing but the sound of them breathing heavily until their eyes lock again. Cas’ eyes are drier, but still wide with concern as he stares down at Dean. “I thought I’d lost you,” he murmurs quietly, and that causes another pang through his chest.

This time, Dean manages the cocky grin. “I don’t die that easy.”

“You’re very welcome,” Cas remarks sarcastically, although the fact that Dean’s here and alive to say that is thanks enough.

The next time their lips touch, this time it’s to steal Dean’s breath away instead.


End file.
